Pilgrim Reindeer in Pisa, 1348 a free multimedia novel by Thomas A. DuBois, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
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1. Part I Setting Out 19. The Journey from Gotland [October 1, 1347]
This is a short chapter and its main purpose is simply to let the reader learn a little about Gotland. Of course, there is the detail about expanding populations vs. stable populations. Bávlos has left a world where the population was kept stable as a means of dealing with limited resources and a fragile environment. Here in the lands to the south, however, he finds a wholly different strategy: one simple has as many children as possible so that the population can expand and potentially take land from others. Such leads to constant emigration in a small island like Gotland, but that doesn't seem to bother Bávlos's interlocutor.
There is a great Gotlandic folk music ensemble called Gunnfjauns kapell.